Toy Commercials: Playing with Gender

♪ [music] ♪

NARRATOR: This video essay will examine
the effects of television toy commercials

on our society's perception
of gender-appropriate toys.

At a young age, society tells us that we fit
into one of two categories: boy or girl.

Playing with children's toys is one of the
ways in which we learn our gender roles.

Media, specifically toy
television commercials,

help relay the message to society

that there are specific toys
for each gender.

Before we begin, let's take a look at
how and why gender is constructed.

By the age of 10, children
have formed an understanding

of the personality traits
that belong to each gender

Many people believe
that gender construction

is a blend of nature and nurture.

It takes effort to process
a lot of information.

To reduce this effort,

our minds stereotype and categorize
information into smaller units.

Therefore, categorizing things
as being male or female

makes it easier for us
to process information.

Once they understand
the basic concepts of gender,

children remain very rigid in their ideas of
gendered behaviors, occupations, and toys.

Studies have found that male characters
tend to dominate children's commercials.

COMMERCIAL: Thunderbirds are go!

We've located the distress call.
We must get there fast!

NARRATOR: Many of them have also found
that gender portrayals in advertising are often

negatively stereotyped in ways
that are restrictive and demeaning.

COMMERCIAL: Baby Alive!

My baby's first cold!

Let's use the bear thermometer.

Good girl!

I can give you medicine
and change your wet diaper.

You're better now, Baby!

NARRATOR: Segregating toys in this way
can be detrimental to children

who are still forming their identities.

Other studies have found that female toys
often encourage girls to focus on their looks,

whereas male toys encourage
power and strength.

COMMERCIAL: A glitter blow-dryer?
That's so Barbie!

♪ Look at that glitter.
Change the color, Change the style ♪

COMMERCIAL: The Transformers war is here!

And both sides can change
from vehicle to blaster in an instant.

NARRATOR: Finally,
commercials featuring females

are usually for dolls and accessories,

whereas commercials featuring males

are often for building toys
and action figures.

COMMERCIAL: It's a great big jet!

♪ In the sky! Walk the runway!
Yeah, we rock it! ♪

COMMERCIAL: Want something your way?

You build it!

Introducing U-Build Battleship.

NARRATOR:
Boys are encouraged to play with cars,

trucks, building toys, and science toys.

Generally the toys promote
strength and power.

COMMERCIAL: One system, you can build
up and customize your heavy-duty truck

with tons of parts and drop
the motor into any Mod Machine.

Tonka Mod Machines,
each sold separately.

That's Tonka tough.

NARRATOR: Girls are encouraged to play
with toys such as kitchen sets, and dolls

that promote domestic
and nurturing behavior.

COMMERCIAL: Only you can help
shy little Furberries come out and play!

COMMERCIAL: It's the cake bakery!
The easy way to make designer cakes!

Bake your cake in the
microwave in 30 seconds!

NARRATOR: Let's take a look
at some older toy commercials

to see how this all began.

Historically, toy commercials have been
much more rigid

in depicting what type of toys
boys and girls should play with.

Here are some older
commercials for boys' toys.

Notice the absence of
a female model or voiceover,

the nature of the toys being advertised,

and the qualities they are
suggesting boys should have.

COMMERCIAL: This opens up
the wild action world of Port Apache,

with Indians, cavalrymen,
shell-shooting cannons.

COMMERCIAL: The most action
you can get, from Mattel.

NARRATOR: Now let's take a look
at some girl commercials from the past.

Notice how they promote
appearance and domesticity.

COMMERCIAL: Yes, with Suzy Homemaker,
you can entertain, wash dishes, clean house,

launder, iron, bake all this,
and always look lovely.

COMMERCIAL: She keeps herself
pretty by using Sugar Plum.

NARRATOR: Luckily, there have been
many positive changes in toy commercials

in the past 50 years or so.

Recently, there have been more depictions
of boys and girls playing with toys

that are typically more geared
toward the other gender.

COMMERCIAL: ♪ So much fun, you'll want
to squeal, Little Live Pets, little mice. ♪

NARRATOR: There are also more depictions
of boys and girls playing with toys together

to indicate that the toy is gender-neutral.

COMMERCIAL: Expressive and unexpected.
Stuart is up, down, tumbling all around.

Minions!

NARRATOR: Some commercials have
even resorted to not using a model at all

and instead using hands to indicate
that a toy is gender-neutral.

COMMERCIAL: Build the shuttle,

place the new satellite,
and prepare for liftoff.

NARRATOR: Still not convinced
that toy commercials have an impact

on society's perception of
gender-appropriate toys?

Studies have indicated
that children may view

more than 40,000
advertisements a year.

That means that they are
potentially watching

tens of thousands of
gendered advertisements.

There's research that indicates
that advertisements do indeed

affect children's attitudes
toward the brand.

According to the American
Psychological Association,

50% of children remember a toy
advertisement a week after seeing it.

Furthermore, it is thought that children
may focus more on the advertisements

than on the television show itself.

So why should we be concerned?

Aside from the fact that it is dangerous
to restrict children to one rigid identity,

research has also speculated
that toy-gendering

could affect men and women's aptitudes
and skills for different professions as adults.

The toys that boys play with
encourage a freedom of imagination

and teach spatial skills that are
often necessary for scientific careers.

On the other hand, girl toys
focus more on nurturing skills,

domestic skills, and appearance.

Many theorize that this is one reason

why there are more men in
scientific fields than women.

While there has been some progress with
de-gendering television toy commercials,

we still have a long way to go.

Commercials continue
to be gender-restrictive;

the gendering is simply done
in a more modern way,

giving the illusion that things have
changed when they really haven't.

Take a look at these two Barbie
commercials, for example.

The first is from 1959,
and the second is from 2015.

♪ Purse and hats and gloves and more
and all the gadgets gals adore ♪

COMMERCIAL: It's for you Moschino Barbie!

Moschino Barbie doll,
fabulosity totally included.

NARRATOR: Some may think that having
a boy in a Barbie commercial is progress.

However, his mannerisms are still very
feminine by our society's standards,

indicating that Barbies
are indeed feminine toys.

In this way, it's not much better than
the Barbie commercial from the '50s.

We must keep in mind that the
advertisements are not entirely at fault

because gender is constructed
by our society.

Advertisements simply perpetuate
gender stereotypes by attempting to appeal

to consumers' socially influenced desires.

In other words, society
creates gender stereotypes,

and advertisements perpetuate them.

In order to make a change, we must figure
out why we haven't made more progress.

Is it society that is resisting?
Or are the toy companies?

Or is it both?

Whatever the cause,
we must not be discouraged.

Things are improving slowly,
but there's still much work to be done.

♪ [slow jazzy music plays during credits] ♪